Class 2A Semifinals

#1 Maquoketa Valley 47, #4 Nodaway Valley 45 FINAL
#2 Dike-New Hartford 57, #3 West Branch 47

Class 1A Semifinals

#1 Bishop Garrigan 57, #4 Exira-EHK 35
#2 Newell-Fonda 73, #6 Montezuma 34

Class 5A Championship

#1 Waukee 71, #2 Johnston 42

First Team

Layne Pryor, Woodbine*
Sage Evans, West Harrison*
Gavin Reineke, Boyer Valley
Connor McKee, CAM
Colby Rich, CAM
Gabe Obert, Coon Rapids-Bayard
Koelson Evans, West Harrison
Zach Schimmer, Ar-We-Va
*Unanimous Choice

Mason King, West Harrison
Dylan Hoefer, Woodbine
Jaiden TenEyck, Boyer Valley
Tyler Petersen, Exira-EHK
Easton Nelson, Exira-EHK
Tanner Oswald, Coon Rapids-Bayard
Will Ragaller, Ar-We-Va
Brigham Daniel, Glidden-Ralston.

The morning Sports report from Jim Field.

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(Radio Iowa) – State regulators are giving sportsbook operators permission to let Iowans place a specific kind of bet that may be popular during the upcoming N-C-double-A tournament. Iowa Racing and Gaming Commission administrator Brian Ohorilko says it’s called pools wagering. “In a typical sports wagering format, the customer is betting against the house or the sports book,” he says. “In this particular case, customers will be wagering against each other.”

There’s typically a fee to be part of the pool. “Those fees are totaled. The house usually collects a percentage, typically between 5 and 10% is what we’ve seen in other some states and then the rest of the money is distributed back to the customers and it really depends on the type of contest and the rules,” Ohorilko says.

In some instances, it may be a winner-take-all scenario, while in others the top 10 or so finishers are paid. The Iowa Racing and Gaming Commission voted yesterday (Thursday) to allow this type of betting, at the request of DraftKings, but all sportsbook operators will now be able to collect these kind of wagers. “Currently in the state of Iowa we have the more common types of sports wagers approved such as money lines, point spreads, totals,” Ohorilko says, “and as we are getting closer to the NCAA basketball tournament, it was really no surprise that we did get a request from the industry to consider pools wagering.”

The N-C-Double-A men’s basketball tournament is scheduled to begin March 18th. In other action yesterday (Thursday), the Iowa Racing and Gaming Commission voted to renew the state operating licenses for 17 of the state’s casinos. And the Isle of Capri in Waterloo and Prairie Meadows each agreed to pay a 20-thousand dollar fine after minors were caught gambling on the casino floors.

Here is the latest Mid-America sports news from The Associated Press

IOWA CITY, Iowa (AP) — Jordan Bohannon tied a career high with eight 3-pointers and scored 26 points, and No. 5 Iowa beat Nebraska 102-64 on Thursday night. The senior guard made 8 of 12 3-point attempts, but he played just eight minutes in the second half as the Hawkeyes topped the 100-point mark for the fourth time this season. Freshman Patrick McCaffery had a career-high 19 points for Iowa. He had scored just 21 points over the last seven games. Luka Garza had 14 points for the Hawkeyes. The senior center came into the game second in the nation in scoring at 24.3 points per game and played just 24 minutes.

LUBBOCK, Texas (AP) — Mac McClung scored 20 points and No. 18 Texas Tech beat Iowa State 81-54 for its third consecutive victory following a three-game losing streak. The Red Raiders wrapped up their home schedule with a fifth consecutive victory over the Cyclones. Texas Tech now gets another crack at No. 3 Baylor in the regular-season finale. Jalen Coleman-Lands and Tyler Harris each scored 15 points for Iowa State. The Cyclones are 0-17 in the Big 12, the most conference losses since TCU went 0-18 in 2013-14.

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — Creighton University has suspended basketball coach Greg McDermott indefinitely for using racially insensitive language while addressing his team after a game last weekend. McDermott publicly apologized Tuesday and again Wednesday for urging his players to “stay on the plantation” after the 14th-ranked Bluejays’ 77-69 loss at Xavier. McDermott coached in the Bluejays’ 72-60 loss at No. 10 Villanova on Wednesday night. Assistant coach Alan Huss will serve as interim head coach for the home game against Butler on Saturday.

LAWRENCE, Kan. (AP) — Marcus Garrett scored on a driving layup with 22.4 seconds to go and Dajuan Harris added a pair of clinching free throws as No. 13 Kansas overcame a 15-point second-half deficit and beat UTEP 67-62. David McCormack scored 13 of his 18 points in the second half, and Ochai Agbaji had 19 points as the Jayhawks avoided a rare second loss in Allen Fieldhouse this season in what was supposed to be a Big 12 tourney tune-up. Bryson Williams led UTEP with 23 points and 13 rebounds. Souley Boum finished with 16 points and six boards.

UNDATED (AP) — The wealthiest conferences hoarding valuable at-large bids to the NCAA men’s basketball tournament has been a trend since the early 2010s. A costly one for the other conferences that don’t have billion-dollar television deals. This pandemic-altered season seems to have marginalized the so-called mid-majors even more — and at a time when they can really use the cash. Take Drake from the Missouri Valley Conference. The school has had to slash its basketball budget by 25% this season. Earning a bid the tournament won’t pull the program out if its financial hole, but every little bit helps. Still, despite a 24-3 record the Bulldogs are no better than a bubble team heading into conference tournament play.

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Arrowhead Stadium has a new name. The Kansas City Chiefs announced the stadium will be known as GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium. The team reached a naming rights agreement with Government Employees Health Association, which is the Chiefs’ exclusive partner for health, dental and vision plans. GEHA and Chiefs officials said they are committed to ensuring Arrowhead Stadium remains the identity of the venue. It is the first time in Chiefs history that the organization has sold naming rights for Arrowhead. The stadium opened in 1972 and is one of the NFL’s most recognizable venues.

UNDATED (AP) — The seedings for the Big 12 Tournament are at stake heading into the final weekend of regular-season play. Baylor already has secured its first conference title since 1950 and the No. 1 seed, but everything is a jumble after the Bears. That also means there is no clear-cut game of the week, rather a whole slew of games that will determine who will earn the crucial No. 2 seed when the tournament begins next week in Kansas City, Missouri.

UNDATED (AP) — No. 2 Michigan and Michigan State will meet twice in four days, Thursday and Sunday. The rivals will close the regular season against each other with plenty at stake. The Wolverines are motivated to strengthen their case for a No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament. The Spartans have been in college basketball’s showcase 22 times in a row and everyone in the program desperately wants to extend the streak. The first scheduled matchup in February was postponed and moved to Thursday, two days after Michigan was routed by No. 4 Illinois and Michigan State outlasted Indiana.

The Exira-EHK Spartans (24-0) have enjoyed a wonderful ride through the 2020-21 girls basketball season. And they’ll look to give the ride moving on Friday with a State Semifinal meeting with the Bishop Garrigan Golden Bears (24-1).

Both teams had to fight hard for Quarterfinal wins. Bishop Garrigan held on to an early advantage against a scrappy Springville squad, and Exira-EHK came through with a big fourth quarter finish to beat MMCRU. Exira-EHK Head Coach Tom Petersen said the offense for Bishop Garrigan gets a lot of attention but he thinks their defense is maybe even more impressive.

The Golden Bears are led by an outstanding sophomore in the post in 6’3″ Audi Crooks. She’s averaging a double double with nearly 21 points and just over 10 rebounds per game. Coach Petersen said they will have to do a great job of making her uncomfortable.

The Golden Bears will throw some different zone looks at the Spartans and their Head Coach Brandon Schwab said they want to run teams off the three point line.

Coach Schwab has been impressed by the Spartans ability to play strong at the end of games despite having such a short bench.

The 1A Semifinal showdown is set for a 2:00 p.m. tipoff on Saturday and we’ll have coverage on KJAN with pregame starting at 1:00 p.m. Chris Parks and CAM Head Coach Joe Wollum will have the call from Des Moines.

Class 5A Semifinals

#1 Waukee 50, #5 Ankeny Centennial 29
#2 Johnston 52, #6 Iowa City West 47

Class 3A Semifinals

#4 West Lyon 52, #1 Cherokee, Washington 39
#3 Unity Christian 58, #2 Clear Lake 42

Class 4A Semifinals

#1 Glenwood 61, #5 North Scott 48
#2 Ballard 32, #3 Dallas Center-Grimes 26

IOWA CITY, Iowa – For the second time in as many days, University of Iowa director of track and field Joey Woody has collected a Coach of the Year honor. Woody has been named United States Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association Midwest Region Men’s Track and Field Coach of the Year. The USTFCCCA announced its regional award winners Thursday. The Big Ten Conference named Woody its Men’s Coach of the Year on Wednesday.

Iowa is ranked No. 1 in the Midwest Region and No. 18 nationally. The Hawkeyes reached as high as No. 9 nationally this season, the best ranking in school history. The Iowa men have four events ranked in the nation’s top 10, including the 400 meters (2), 60-meter hurdles (2), long jump (4) and shot put (7).

Woody led Iowa to its first outright Big Ten Indoor Championships since 1929, scoring a school-record 119 points, 27 more than second-place Indiana. The Hawkeyes had 10 medalists, including Big Ten champions James Carter, Jr., in the long jump and Peyton Haack in heptathlon.

The USTFCCCA honor is the fourth of Woody’s career. He earned head coach honors after Iowa’s 2019 Big Ten Championships, and was named Midwest Region Assistant Coach of the Year in 2013 and 2011.

Four Hawkeye men have qualified for 2021 NCAA Indoor Track and Field Championships hosted by the University of Arkansas on March 11-13 at Randal Tyson Track Center in Fayetteville, Arkansas. They  include Jamal Britt in the 60-meter hurdles, Wayne Lawrence, Jr. in the 400 meters, and Peyton Haack and Austin West in the Heptathlon. Mallory King is also competing in the 800 meters on the women’s side.

For more information regarding the Division I indoor track and field championships is available at hawkeyesports.com/tracklive.

ST. LOUIS (AP) — Drake’s Darian DeVries is the Missouri Valley Conference men’s basketball coach of the year for the second time in his three seasons at the school. The Valley announced DeVries earned 32 of 50 first-place votes and edged out Porter Moser of regular-season champion Loyola in Chicago.

Drake head coach Darian DeVries directs his team during the second half of an NCAA college basketball game against Loyola of Chicago, Sunday, Feb. 14, 2021, in Des Moines, Iowa. Drake won 51-50 in overtime. (AP Photo/Charlie Neibergall)

DeVries has guided the Bulldogs to 24 wins in his third season to tie for the third most in program history along with his 2018-19 team. DeVries also was coach of the year that season. The Bulldogs finished second in the Valley in the regular season with a school record-tying 15 conference wins.

IOWA CITY, Iowa – For the second consecutive season, University of Iowa All-American Luka Garza is one of 10 semifinalists for the Naismith Trophy, which is presented annually to the most outstanding player who achieves tremendous on-court success. The announcement was made on Thursday by the Atlanta Tipoff Club.

Garza (6-foot-11, 265 pounds) has led the fifth-ranked Hawkeyes to 18 victories this season, including wins in five of their last six. He leads the nation in total points (607); player efficiency rating (36.66); 30-point games (7); field goals made (226); and 22-point games (17). Garza is eighth nationally in free throw makes (120) and 14th in double-doubles (11).

The native of Washington, D.C., broke the school’s 32-year old record held by Roy Marble on Feb. 21, 2021. His 2,166 points rank 15th best in Big Ten history. In addition to ranking first in career scoring, Garza is first at Iowa in conference scoring (1,366), total field goals made (815), field goal attempts (1,496), and 40-point games (2); second in 30-point games (12); fourth in double-doubles (32); fifth in rebounding (871); sixth in blocked shots (141); eighth in free throw makes (425); and 14th in 3-pointers made (111).

He is the only men’s basketball player in Big Ten history to accumulate 2,000 points, 850 rebounds, 125 blocked shots, and 100 3-pointers and he is the only player from a major conference with those numbers dating back to the 1992-93 season. Garza is the only Hawkeye in school history to amass four 400-point seasons and two 600-point seasons.

No. 5 Iowa (18-7, 12-6) will host Nebraska (7-17, 3-14) tonight in Iowa City. The game will be televised nationally on the Big Ten Network.

2021 Naismith Trophy Player of the Year Semifinalists

Jared Butler, Butler
Cade Cunningham, Oklahoma State
Hunter Dickinson, Michigan
Ayo Dosunmu, Illinois
Luka Garza, IOWA
Quentin Grimes. Houston
Herbert Jones, Alabama
Corey Kispert, Gonzaga
Evan Mobley, USC
Drew Timme, Gonzaga